"Last Town on Earth"

Immune

Artists:

There are many sides to the music of Los Angeles’ Steven R. Smith, and he's given each a different name. In addition to his namesake, he’s released solo work as Hala Strana, Ulaan Khol, Ulaan Markhor, and Ulaan Passerine. Each project has its own sound, but there is some overlap, and you can usually hear Smith’s distinct approach in every guise. His latest album, the double-LP Ending/Returning is split between Steven R. Smith and Ulaan Khol as he interprets the same set of songs through those respective lenses. As himself, Smith plays "Last Town on Earth" like the score to a minimalist existential western, with sparse acoustic plucks surrounded by poignant accents. As Ulaan Khol, he bombs the tune with nuclear-waste guitar, turning something desolate into something genuinely harrowing. At the close of that second version, things calm a bit, and the aftershock echoes the first version perfectly.